It is not the activity of the wicked that will destroy, but rather the inactivity of the righteous...

There is a problem within the American church of all denominations that has been festering for years. The church carries a heavy responsibility of evangelizing the lost, preaching against social injustice and sin in society, dealing with divisions over issues of doctrine, same-sex marriage in the church, etc. In all of this, though, something important has been overlooked.

There is an alarming number of sexual molesters and offenders in churches across the nation that are currently targeting a child in their care. In addition, there are youth being allowed to consume media that is presenting a warped view of sexuality, thus priming them to fall into sexual sin. All the while, there are sermons and teachings about holiness and separation from the world. Many people wonder why as many as 80% of the children that grow up in church end up leaving the faith by college age. It is clear that there is an internal problem. Many Christians are on the outer battlefields, but many times there is neglect in “staying by the supplies”(1 Sam. 30:24), so to speak.

Our vision at Child Refuge is to address these issues eating away at the church in order to save the future of the church. That is our motto - saving our future, one life at a time. In children’s ministry there is a saying…the church is always one generation away from extinction. If our children are leaving in droves once they’re old enough to make their own choices, it is a dire sign. Are we to let molesters stop our future?

To educate and empower the church, we have strived to fill the pages of this site with helpful information about the various kinds of sexual molestation and abuse that can happen within the church and even society at large at the hands of offenders. We continue to develop a mentoring program for at risk youth and a way to connect victims with counselors. We have a prayer line available to those who have been victimized, to parents of victims, to those who see the warning signs of an abuser. We believe that prayer changes things and faith moves mountains. Simple prayers of faith can heal and save lives. In all that we do, we try to build upon the foundation of the Holy Bible. The Word is alive, and it’s truth brings life.

Child Molestation Grooming Process: Knowing the Steps and Preventing Them

Child sex offenders possess the ability to groom their victims so as to eliminate any suspicion before beginning their attack. They do this by engaging the victim and gaining trust. Manipulation is direct and most of the time, very effective. The child is subjected to different techniques that have the dual objective of weakening his/her defense and deceiving him/her to trust the offender. The grooming process even goes to the extent of convincing the parents or caretakers that the offender is a friendly and wholesome individual.

As parents, we need to know the common techniques used by offenders in grooming children so that we can be a step ahead of them. Nothing is more effective than educated vigilance.

Child sexual abuse is a prevalent issue in the United States and even within the Christian church. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before age 18. This is an epidemic. Molestation is a kind of sexual abuse that comes in different forms. It involves consistent sexual contact with a victim that is usually an acquaintance. Other equally disturbing forms of child sex abuse are child pornography and prostitution.

Nonetheless, there’s one form that is especially revolting and shocking – it may even be called demonic by some. Intra-familial molestation is the act of sexually molesting a family member, and often refers to the abuse of child relatives. The offender could be a parent, grandparent, uncle, sibling or cousin. Sometimes, the offender is a minor himself. When a child is molested this way, it's important to protect the victim and seek justice.

Pornography, it seems, has always been a problem in American culture. Many Americans would disagree that it’s a problem, seeing as how more than 70 percent of men in America aged 18 to 34 visit a porn website in a typical month[i]. However, there seems to be a universal condemnation of child pornography. This is good, of course, but the real question is - what’s the difference between adult and child pornography? Once you dig into the issue, you may find that the boundaries are not all that clear.

Child pornography is generally defined as any image, video, or other media form that shows children in sexual acts or positions. Anyone caught producing, distributing or possessing it will face serious jail time.